In Gratiot Central Market giant portions of beef, pork, fish and poultry are displayed like fine jewelry in glass cases by eight different vendors. Chef Phil Jones hopes the layout will lure customers to vegetables and fruit purchases that augment their daily diet.

The St. Croix-born chef and nutrition activist manages Red Truck Fresh Produce, a 2,400-square-foot store. It opened in late-2015 to entice shoppers to balance their diet and explore a world of spices and recipes, especially with bounty from Michigan’s gardens. The store is staffed by U.S. military veterans as part of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s Operation Good Jobs Program. Starting this spring, these veterans who fought for their country to save lives, will begin a street campaign to save lives with real food.

“This is a partnership all about fresh food access,” says Jones.

A frequent guest speaker at food demonstrations at Eastern Market, he teamed up with Dan Carmody, executive director of the Market and Community Growth Partners, to demonstrate recipes and showcase fresh products in an indoor market. He is across the hall from Ronnie’s Meats, the biggest vendor in Gratiot Central at Russell and Gratiot in the Eastern Market District.

“We hope to train people about where food comes from. You don’t hear about e-coli in locally grown food,” Jones says.

On a busy Saturday he will whip up a veggie stir fry with coriander and tell how this spice is found around the world in traditional recipes. Another day he will make colcannon with cabbage and mashed potatoes to demonstrate how to put more nutrition and fiber into comfort food. He remains fascinated with a food legacy that tells stories of community, love, loss and immigration, along with filling the belly.

“We want people to taste, smell and experiment with food,” he says. “We’ll show them how heirloom grits and grains have flavor and substance, far more than the lowly grits you see in supermarkets. You just have to soak it overnight before cooking.”

Cooking may take more time and pains, but the payoff is a healthier lifestyle.

A shiny, vintage red truck is the focal point of this clean, expansive grocery, which perfectly fits the vision of Eastern Market, says Erin Gaiser, chief marketing officer for the Eastern Market Corp.

“The market is all about gaining fresh food access to everyone and promoting Michigan-grown food,” she says. “Phil Jones knows how to engage people in the art of selecting produce and cooking it.”

Jones has cooked at a soul food restaurant, The Rattlesnake Club, Fishbone’s, and several hotels. He also helped cook food and train food service workers at Colors, a nonprofit restaurant in the Carr Center in Harmonie Park, before proposing the retail store to Eastern Market.

At Colors he was responsible for training a workforce, ordering fresh food and promoting fair wages for restaurant workers. His trademark was a grass-fed hamburger paired with organic bread from Avalon Bakery and served with braised greens.

Through Red Truck, Jones partners with Detroit-based food businesses, many of which use the kitchen at Eastern Market to make cakes, jams, pies and snacks. Every Saturday he rolls a cart out into the hallway and cooks up a storm. He prints recipe cards so people know exactly how to make these tasty concoctions.

“Food should nourish us. The problem is so many of us eat over-processed foods,” Jones says.

The store accepts EBT/Bridge Cards. From July to December it offers the state-run SNAP program, guaranteeing that every $10 spent on Michigan-grown produce earns an additional $10 worth of produce to help stretch food budgets. Red Truck’s biggest seller is cabbage, which can be as cheap as 39 cents a head.

“A meal shared is a story told,” he says.

  Avalon Bakery, Carr Center, Chef Phil Jones, Colors Restaurant, Dan Carmody, Detroit Eastern Market, Fishbone’s, Gratiot Central Market, Red Truck Fresh Produce, The Rattlesnake Club